Saturday May 21, 2005, around 6pm.
My now ex girlfriend's siblings decided to throw a pool party on this day with their parents out of town, nothing big, just some pool side fun. A bunch of people were there, the older crowd of the older siblings were on one side and we, the younger crowd were on another side. We were joined together by the pool and the food/drinks in the middle of the pool area. I don't drink conventional beer like them Heineken and stuff so I opted for Smirnoff Apple. I had one bottle, downed some barbecue chicken, I was feeling good. C'mon, it's just one bottle.
After some time, I was downing my second bottle of Smirnoff (some berry flavor this time around), I decided to enter the water. I chilled at the shallow end for a while, splashed some water, made some noise and then the devil decided it was his turn. A friend decided to walk to the deep end and he recruited me to follow and I did. We sat at the edge of the pool at the deep end for a bit, just talking and stuff and then he decided to go back to the shallow end. I said I would chill for a few more minutes. After a few minutes, I decided to go back to the shallow end. Now, I could have just stood up and and walk on the side or get in the pool and walk back along the side like I did before. But for some reason, my eyes caught a float in the middle of the deep end and I decided I had to get the float before I walk back to the shallow end. So, I jumped in the pool and proceeded to walk to the middle of the deep end.
Again, I couldn't swim (and I still can't swim). Also, the deep end was 6 ft deep and I'm 6ft 1 in height. I got halfway between the wall of the pool and the float and I realized my nose was not 6ft high off the ground, it was under water. At that point, I figured I'll jump up, catch a big mouthful of air, grab the float, land back in the water on my feet and then walk back to the wall and go the shallow end. Simple plan??? No, wrong move!!!I jumped and took a deep breath as planned, I reached for the float but it was out of reach. Now I was coming down from the jump but instead of coming down straight, I guess the water being disturbed by everyone else pushed me a bit and I came down at an angle with my back facing the water. Realizing that I was going down into no man's land, I decided to yell so people can at least hear me and save me. Only thing was when I made that decision, I was already under and so my yell was muffled by the water. To make matters worse, the air I had taken in during my jump was being used up by my yelling. "What's happening?" I wondered. Yup, I was now officially under the water. I can't feel the ground under my feet and I can't seem to reach the wall and for some reason, everyone in the pool wasbeyond my reach. I raised my hand and I felt air. I started waving frantically, hoping someone would see my distress call. I even splashed water around but help was not coming. After a while, I decided to conserve my energy. I held my breath and tried to look around for something I can grab. I was ready to grab ass, boobs, anything at this point but although they seemed so close, they were far away. The air in my lungs started escaping. Second by second, my lungs were emptying out and then it happened.
Yup, my life flashed before me. "Is this how I die?" I saw the newspaper headline for the next week - 'Man dies in pool', I saw my mum at the hospital crying, I saw my dad being consoled, I saw the coffin, I saw my brother. I was seeing the future," this is how I die, I don't get to have a wedding or have kids, THIS IS HOW I DIE!". While all these were going on in my eyes (it wasn't in my mind or head, I was seeing it), I was still, I stopped moving. I originally stopped moving to see if I would float but when that wasn't working, reality set in. "It's a lie, I refuse to die this way and if this is how I die, I'm going out fighting". I decided to make the biggest raucous I could make in that water. I wanted to cause such an underwater disturbance that would attract attention. My reflexes took over - I took a breath involuntarily, water rushed in. I closed my mouth, held my nose with my hands. Nope, didn't stop reflex, I took another breath and gotmore water in my lungs. It didn't look good. I had to do something. It was time to fight.
So I started trashing around, flailing my hands and legs about. I had to cause a scene, someone had to see me struggling. Somebody, anybody, please, heeelllllppppp ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . Then, it got quiet, very quiet. It was dark too, pitch black. I was out, underwater. Yup, I passed out, fainted, semi died while under the water with no one noticing anything.
Gasp, another gasp. I was hearing voices, kinda muffled though. I couldn't see. The voices became clearer: "who knows CPR?". Someone kept asking. "He's breathing", someone else said. I was beginning to see blurry images and I was still gasping for air. My lungs were hurting real bad. It was very painful taking those breaths but I needed it. I didn't know what was happening. I was laid on the floor next to the pool (or deck, whatever) face up, then I was turned over. A lot of people were looking at me, looking shocked. Then it hit me - I'M ALIVE!!! I SURVIVED!!!
I asked to lay for a bit and was then transferred to a pool chair. I kept gasping for about 5 mins and then I was able to breath normally, my lungs still hurt though. My sister was crying and I heard she was freaking out before I woke up, slapping me and hitting me to wake me up (only time she could have gotten away with it). She sat with me and refused to go back in the pool. I finally convinced her to go have fun. Then I asked someone what happened, how was I discovered? Apparently, when I passed out, I ended up floating face down. My friend that went to the deep end with me then saw me and was making a joke that I was swimming. When he called out for me and I refused to answer, he prodded me and I didn't respond. That was when he knew something was wrong and dragged me out. From the time that someone said he saw me waving in the water to when I pulled out was estimated to be about 3 minutes. It doesn't look like a long time but I believe that's about how long the human brain can go without oxygen. CPR was not performed and my lungs were able to resume function on it's own. The crazy thing was, while I was in the pool, fighting for my life, people saw me and they thought I was playing. Someone next to me in the water even said she thought I was just fooling around.
I spent the next couple of days on webmd and medical sites trying to research effects of drowning and my fear was brain damage. Being without air for 3 mins has a very high probability of shutting your brain down and you're basically a vegetable before you die. I was without air for that time but my brain didn't shut down. I saw my doctor the next Monday and his nurses wanted to refuse me from seeing the doctor. They said I needed to go to the emergency room. I had to convince them that I drowned 2 days before and it was sort of too late for an emergency. My doctor even scolded me for going to the deep end when I knew I couldn't swim (he's a Nigerian too so I heard a bit). He gave me some medication to dry out my lungs and what not. He knew not to tell my parents or I would sue him for breaking patient-doctor confidentiality. I told my parents, I fell in and took a gulp and the drugs were just as a precaution. My dad laughed at me, if only he knew how close I was on knocking on heaven's door.
My parents still don't know the real and full details to this day, I plan on telling them though, when my mum won't freak out. I've since gotten a Bachelor's degree, started my Masters program, broken up with that girlfriend and done a lot of other things (mostly good) and so again, I have to say THANK YOU JESUS!!!
There's still one more saga in this series, the testimony never finish. I'm about start the script for Great Escape III - The Rear Endings.
Ibiluv and Mz. Dee, I hope you guys get first and second comments.
